1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of data processing. More specifically, the present invention relates to the processing of mixed language expressions, including the employment of expression execution context, and expression processors, in particular, those with load and execute interfaces.
2. Background Information
Ever since the invention of the first computer, computer scientists have continuously tried to improve the productivity of programmers, such that more applications can be developed using fewer resources to take advantage of the continuous advancements being made in the art of computer and related technologies. First assembler languages were developed to replace machine languages. Then, high-level languages, such as FORTRAN, COBOL, PL/I and so forth, were developed to further improve the productivity of programmers. Development of high-level languages were followed by structured languages such as Pascal and C, and then object oriented programming languages such as C++. To facilitate development of the Internet and the World Wide Web, “new” languages such as the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), Java, Javascript, Perl and CGI were developed.
Most implementations of programming languages include runtime support facilities, such as memory allocation and de-allocation, exception handling, library functions, and so forth.
Each programming language has its strength and weakness. Some are more suitable for certain applications over others. It is often desirable to be able to represent data processing operations in executable expressions, employing instructions or statements of different programming languages to solve a problem or implement an application. However, few programming languages offer native supports of inter-mixing expressions employing instructions of different languages or inter-mixing languages in an expression. To the extent that mixed language execution is supported, the approach is often proprietary and not extendable to other programming languages.
With the advance of the Internet, Web services, and so forth, increasingly application developers are required to develop applications richer in functions, more complex in the environments they execute, at a faster rate and lower cost.
For at least some of these reasons, an improved approach to processing expressions, especially, one that is extensible to include expressions of different languages as well as mixed language expressions, is desired.